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Officials warn Influenza A is still active in the community

Sault Area Hospital (SAH), in concert with Algoma Public Health, report the recent Plummer site Influenza A outbreak is over.

The hospital declared the outbreak at the Plummer site Transitional Care Unit Jan. 8 after four cases were confirmed, with two others pending.

No one at the Queen Street site, which houses patients waiting for placement elsewhere in the community and others expecting to go home, became seriously ill, the hospital said.

“It did appear really quickly,” said Mario Paluzzi, SAH director of communications and public affairs.

No visiting restrictions were imposed during the outbreak.

“(But) we asked anybody visiting to check in with the nurses station,” Paluzzi said Monday.

“Because it was Influenza A, that would mean those that were affected actually would be on what we call droplet protection, so people who went to visit them would have had to gown up and mask up.”

SAH took several steps to assist patients and keep the illness from spreading, including temporary halting the transfer of patients to the Plummer site, isolating patients with symptoms, carrying out increased cleaning throughout the unit, treating patients and staff with Tamiflu and carrying out ongoing monitoring of other patients for symptoms.

“So we just treated everything the way we normally would,” Paluzzi said. “We cohorted those who were affected or showing signs of respiratory distress. After a couple of days, it started to resolve pretty quickly. So it was a matter of keeping it contained real quick.”

SAH says it remains "vigilant" in its surveillance efforts as Influenza A is still active.

“Just because our hospital-acquired outbreak is over, Influenza A is still in full-force out there in the community,” Paluzzi said. “We encourage people to wash their hands and if they’re having symptoms, stay home.”

Officials also say it is important that anyone planning to visit the hospital use discretion to safeguard both their safety and that of patients. Anyone experiencing influenza-like symptoms is strongly discouraged from visiting. Those who do come to the facility are urged to wash their hands often with the solution provided throughout the building, especially before and after entering patient rooms.

Area residents are also encouraged to consider alternate medical clinics in Sault Ste. Marie for treatment of non-urgent medical conditions, including the SaultCare Medical Clinic in Cambrian Mall, the Family Medicine and Drop-In Clinic located in the Market Mall and the Group Health Centre same-day or walk-in clinics (for GHC patients only).